GNPC Sets Out Plans to Grow as Operator and Boost Local Content

The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) says it intends to take on a bigger role as a Ghanaian petroleum operator while widening openings for local firms and professionals in the upstream oil and gas sector, as first reported by Citi News.

Chief Executive Kwame Ntow Amoah set out the plans at the 2026 Local Content Conference and Exhibition (LCCE) in Takoradi, an event organised by the Petroleum Commission. He said the corporation was following a long-term strategy to build the technical, commercial and institutional strength it needs to handle more responsibility in exploration and production.

"Our long-term ambition remains to transform GNPC from an emerging operator to a world-class operator, technically proficient, commercially competitive and able to manage complex petroleum assets to deliver sustainable value for Ghana," he said.

New subsidiaries and graduate training

Mr Ntow Amoah said the expanding operational role of GNPC Explorco was part of that goal, along with moves to set up two strategic subsidiaries, one for oil and gas trading and another for shared services. According to him, the proposed companies could attract Ghanaian and foreign investors and might eventually list on the stock exchange so that more Ghanaians can hold shares.

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He also announced the first intake of the corporation's Graduate Trainee Programme, made up of 75 recently recruited graduates who will receive two years of practical training and mentoring.

The chief executive said GNPC's marginal fields development programme aims to open up about one billion barrels of oil and 2.5 trillion cubic feet of gas. The programme groups fields into clusters, an approach intended to make them more commercially viable and to let local companies take part in shared infrastructure.

Voltaian Basin drilling

On onshore exploration, Mr Ntow Amoah said work was advancing towards drilling the first exploration well in the Voltaian Basin before the close of 2026. He said conductor casings had already been moved to the site and contract processes were under way to bring in Xibu Rig 70559 before the year ends.

Apart from testing whether the basin holds hydrocarbons, he said the project would help Ghanaian professionals and businesses gain skills in onshore operations, engineering, logistics and project delivery.

He argued that local content goals depend on continued investment in the upstream sector, pointing to the approved Greater Jubilee Further Development Plan and progress on further investment in Sankofa–Gye Nyame as openings for Ghanaian contractors and service providers.

Support for local suppliers

According to Mr Ntow Amoah, GNPC spent about US$3.67 million on locally sourced goods and services in 2025, and its vendor development efforts reached around 200 suppliers over 2025 and 2026. In April 2026, the corporation held a workshop for 44 vendors on procurement procedures and the Ghana Electronic Procurement System (GHANEPS).

GNPC has also approached the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) to look at working with financial institutions on funding arrangements for technically capable Ghanaian contractors. The aim is to tackle difficulties with performance guarantees and equipment financing, which often limit local companies' ability to bid for larger petroleum contracts.

The chief executive said GNPC had carried out local content benchmarking visits to Nigeria, Senegal and Angola, and reviewed experiences in Norway and Brazil. He said the lessons were shaping consideration of a more structured, group-wide local content approach across GNPC and its subsidiaries, and called for more focus on building competitive Ghanaian enterprises and keeping technical skills and economic value in the country.